Latest Update: Line Art: Mama Told Me Thereíd Be Days Like This
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Hi all,

Took a little sabbatical from the challenge to get some life stuff sorted... apparently having a job is important...

Anywho, I'm gonna try and slam out this illustration in seven days. There were a lot of things I wanted to do but due to time constraints, thatís not gonna happen. So to save as much time as possible, I've decide to go ahead and work with the original sketch I came up with.

I went ahead and cleaned up the sketch as much as possible and added the wrecked space ship that I wanted the hero to crawl out of. You may have noticed that the mech-crawler is no longer in the sketch. Thatís because I'll be rendering out a 3D rough of the mech from lightwave and working it into the background.

My next step will be to knock out a color study by tomorrow and use the rest of the week to hopefully complete the image on time.

I think this is the sketch I'm going to roll with for my final drawing. The concept is a final moment of confrontation between a space hero and a mechanized alien ship.

It's been a long time since I picked up a pencil that I sadly had forgotten just how gratifying sketching is. I want to take the time to thank my buddy Igor Tkac for introducing me to this community and rekindling my affinity for illustration. I got to say this place is a real eye opener as the caliber of work here is outstanding. I look forward to viewing the wonderful work of other contestants for inspiration.

danielh68

10-22-2004, 11:21 PM

Great Concept. Like the vantage point. Can't wait to see more.

Crusty_Butt

10-23-2004, 12:18 AM

Very dramatic. This one has alot of potential, I think.

Miker

10-23-2004, 12:25 AM

The image feels lonely. It does not feel like there is enough havoc - who else is the victim of the chaos? lets get some people running and screaming. just a thought. Needless to say this has lot of potential. great stuff.

JTD

10-23-2004, 05:00 AM

Classic. I love it. It will be interesting to see how you color this.

MechaHateChimp

10-23-2004, 08:30 AM

I've been reading so many great concept stories that I thought I'd elaborate more on my own.

Story Concept #1:

The year is 2025 and some how the Bush Administration is still in command of the United States of the Planet! Having exhausted all natural fuel resources in what was once known as the United States of America, a colossal army of giant oil sniffing mech robots were created to seek and exploit any and all remaining fuel resources on the planet while killing off democratic opposition. Only one surviving democrat stands between the administration's plan for complete domination.

Story Concept #2:

After a long arduous divorce, Major Chuck U. Farlie of the United Federation of Super Dooper Space Fighters thought his days as a pussy-whipped husband were over. Little did he know that his self-serving conniving bitch of an ex-wife had other plans in mind. With the help of an evil scientist, she voluntarily donated her body to the Make-A-Mech Foundation where she was transformed into a bloodthirsty, alimony collecting, mech warrior killing machine. Now with more power than is humanly imaginable, she sets forth to kill two birds with one stone: her ex-husband, Major Chuck U. Farlie of the United Federation of Super Dooper Space Fighters, and the dopest Space Fighter in the galaxy, who coincidently happens to be Major Chuck U. Farlie of the United Federation of Super Dooper Space Fighters.

Story Concept #3:

As if living downtown isn't hard enough, world wide governments have initiated martial law against parking meter offenders. The creation of Meter-Mechs has many wishing for the good'ol days when all you had to pay was a $20 for an expired parking meter offense. They're sole purpose is to execute at will any and all parking violators with extreme prejudice and collect the bling. Oh, and take over the galaxy too.

Heres a concept sketch for the character in the final illustration. I doubt there will be as much detail in the final image of the character but it'll definitely give me something to work with for reference.

Vahn

10-23-2004, 11:48 PM

hehe the ex wife .... i like ur style very much...expecially how u draw hair :D

This is a concept sketch for the mech-crawler which will be tearing apart the buildings on the main concept sketch. Im not very good at technical/mechanical drawing as I am with organic things which is why Im sticking to a more organic shaped machine. I think you can get away with a lot when it comes to organic stuff than you can with t echnical illustration which doesnt give much room for error. I spent a day looking thru japanese manga for inspiration and pulled bits and pieces from different drawings to put this sketch together. Its a rough idea of what I want but its too close to some of the images I used for reference so it wont look the same once it is completed. I plan on modeling it out in 3D so I can get a better idea for correct lighting.

Igor Tkac which is one of my friends who also entered the competition for the 3D challenge gave me the best idea just now which is to not center the mech but have it crawl on the side of the buildings which I think is straight up genius. I'm gonna work on that sketch tonight which I think will really give the illustration an even larger sense of impending danger.

I re-drew the body which works better for what I initially wanted, an oval like head that can spin in any direction, something the first sketch lacked. I also think it will be easier to lathe out in 3D making it better for me to work with by keeping things simple.

Selvagem

10-24-2004, 05:25 AM

its sweet looking stuff...

i have to admit i was liking the original feel of your first sketch. mb just because it WAS looser... but then again mb it seemed like the front end of it had more depth and now it seems like the head is disappearing...

awsomeawsome

Selvagem

10-24-2004, 06:46 AM

"Dude, youre not kidding when you say the quality of professional work can leave
any one feeling a little humbled.... I just look at some of the sketches and Im
just blown away... some sketches already look like finished works of art!"

exactly

"But the way I see it, the only person you can accurately compare yourself to is YOU.
Do your best, give it all you have, and most importantly enjoy yourself doing
it. In the end its just a contest but as long as you enjoy doing what youre
doing, youve already won in the long run. It may sound cheesy but youll grow so
much quicker as an artist if you stay true to yourself and believe in your
abilities. If you need motivation, let me know. I'll hound you till you get your
illustration completed:)"

yes thats basically it. i mean when i first entered myself into the machine flesh challenge that was the entire point. i knew that i wasn't going to get anywhere to the top ten or anything like that. i mean just look at some of those guys.. their work is breathtaking.

but the point is just to enjoy what your doing... and keep working. I suppose my hope and the hope of the forum administrators is to post work, get feedback and keep this community going by helping develop new talent..

[but thanks for the offer to kick me in the arse.. i might ask you to later...]

btw does anyone know how to link their Grand Space Opera entry to messages/signatures?... i gotta start pimping myself out soon :D

I like your concept! So will we be seeing any alien ships in the final composition?

MechaHateChimp

10-24-2004, 07:36 PM

I like your concept! So will we be seeing any alien ships in the final composition?Since you mentioned it, I was thinking of stretching out the dimensions of my canvas to show more of the sky, and I think would look cool to have some jets/ships flying just above the mech crawler. I also plan on showing the character in the foreground climbing out of a wrecked ship, something that's not in the initial sketch. I want to give the impression that he's just lost what little chance he had left of saving the planet against impossible odds and is in the final moment where he's thinking "Shit, what do I do now?"

ChrisMayernik

10-24-2004, 07:56 PM

I like the first mech concept because of the focus on the mechs head. The curves come together right above the eye. On the second concept the head does not have as much focus and importance as the first concept. Good luck

Some very quick sketches for layout. I decided I wanted a more dynamic scene by playing with the camera angle and to also have the hero coming out of a wrecked ship or maybe even just standing next to it. Right now Im having a hard time deciding on a final layout. Im looking at A4 as a possibility or use the original sketch and figure out a way to fit the crashed ship in it. Right now I have the ship in the immediate foreground that Im not sure if people will be able to tell that its a crashed ship and not just rubble.

Selvagem

10-26-2004, 08:22 PM

i really like the feel that you have from the 3d comp... just the little platings n' stuff give it a nice texture... :D

WazaR

10-27-2004, 01:34 AM

This is very iconic.

Very solid concept design. Good use of prespective to give scale to the whole comp. I agree that you should include more vertical detail to exaggerate a little more the scale. You have quite a sense of humor?? You woulnt happen to be divorced would you??? Its a pity this wont be animated.... really it just begs to be....

Your work is of such good quality I have very little to say.

Adelante amigo.....

newcenturydsn

10-27-2004, 01:55 AM

Wow, really great linework, you have a good grasp on perspective and composition. Can't wait to see where you take this.
Is this gonna be a 3d or 2d entry?
oh, and is Major Chuck Yu Farlie, a member of the sooper dooper skate team as well?

keep it comin and good luck!!

funkbuttah

10-27-2004, 02:15 AM

Mecha,
Hey your concepts for the walker thing are really cool. I cant wait to see you flesh out this idea further. In looking at your layout comps, I can tell you really have some good drawing skills. I like the A4 one on the bottom, but it would be cool to expand the composition to include the sky so you can include a horde of dem bad daddies or somn'.

ROCK.

sidchagan

10-27-2004, 04:12 AM

I like the first concept drawing better than the last one you posted, honestly- just seems more bigger and more interesting. I do, however, agree with what someone else said- there should be more people in the drawing, more chaos.

Here are some modeling roughs for the mech. Lately it seems like everywhere I look theres a 4 legged mech thingy walking around. I saw another artist post one in the 3D Challenge forum and also in "The Incredibles"... which by far has got to be the best mechcrawler Ive seen.

So trying to be a stay away from the whole mechanical look, Ive decided to make it a little more organic and bug-like.

Nice progress so far. The spider monster looks really evil. But I find it hard to figure out what it is.... is it a "monster" or a really big machine, or a mixture of the two??? It really seems like something you'd see in a power rangers episode,... which considering the "comic" style your going after I think that is a good thing.

Took a little sabbatical from the challenge to get some life stuff sorted... apparently having a job is important...

Anywho, I'm gonna try and slam out this illustration in seven days. There were a lot of things I wanted to do but due to time constraints, thatís not gonna happen. So to save as much time as possible, I've decide to go ahead and work with the original sketch I came up with.

I went ahead and cleaned up the sketch as much as possible and added the wrecked space ship that I wanted the hero to crawl out of. You may have noticed that the mech-crawler is no longer in the sketch. Thatís because I'll be rendering out a 3D rough of the mech from lightwave and working it into the background.

My next step will be to knock out a color study by tomorrow and use the rest of the week to hopefully complete the image on time.

Pressure. Gotta love it:)

SideAche

01-10-2005, 02:47 AM

The drawing looks nice so far. Good luck and God's speed on the finish.

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